Stefanie Maragna

CP Corporate Marketing & Events, Medium Segment
Sage

As a VP Corporate Marketing & Events at Sage, Stefanie Maragna is responsible for the Customer Advocacy, Partner Marketing, Analyst Relations and Events for Sage Intacct. With more than 25+ years in Sales, Marketing and event experience, the backbone of her career has always been within the technology event space working with Mincom (in Australia), before moving to the USA with Mark Logic, Host Analytics, Sage Intacct and Sage.

At Sage, Stefanie is responsible for the planning, execution of top-tier tradeshows & field events, customer, industry and c-level events to drive pipeline, awareness and thought leadership. With an infectious personality, and strategic focus and passion for the event industry, her diverse background has allowed her to better understand the needs and motivations of all the stakeholders who are involved with events, from marketing to sales to partners and executives.

Her love for events has given her many opportunities to bring new and unique experiences to customers and colleagues across all event marketing programs. She enjoys mentoring and supporting the next generation of event “marketeers” and was named as one of SmartMeetings’ “100 Women Who Inspire Us” and “Hall of Fame”.

When Stefanie takes time away from the corporate scene, she lives on her Sonoma County ranch with her husband, 5-year-old little boy and Australian cattle dog Cody. You will find her cooking, gardening, beekeeping, raising chickens, supporting many local charities and drinking wine of course! Stefanie loves travel and when she is not spending time in her home country Australia, she takes the opportunity to travel the world learning and experience all cultures.

Executives of the Month

Michael B. Lee

Vice President of Sales
Marina Bay Sands Pte Ltd

Mike Lee is a highly accomplished Hotel Development Executive with a unique blend of corporate and entrepreneurial success stories in the hospitality industry. He is a results driven, multi-faceted leader with an in-depth working knowledge of the risks, benefits, and intricacies of hospitality development from both owner and corporate perspectives.

He has extensive experience in market driven site analysis, project management, organizational leadership and marketing resulting in profitable developments for partners and corporations.

Mike has held senior management roles in many hotel and resort corporations such as Americana Hotels, Resorts International, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts as well as Hospitality Franchise Systems (HFS). Mike was also President of his own Franchising and Hotel development companies prior to joining Marina Bay Sands.

Currently Mike Lee is the Vice President of Sales for Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. His role is focused on enhancing all aspects of the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) business and Leisure Tourism segments at Marina Bay Sands with a primary focus on revenue responsibility. He joined Marina Bay Sands in November 2010.

He attended St. Bonaventure University in Olean, N.Y., and Georgetown University in Washington DC.

Kris Kaminsky

Senior Vice President, Hotel Operations

Kris is currently responsible for all hotel operations, including the Sales and Conventions & Events teams, across Sands Resorts Macao, encompassing 11 properties and 12,500 rooms and suites and 1.6m square feet of meeting and event space.

Born and raised in Kansas in the American heartland, Kris earned a Marketing and Journalism degree from the University of Kansas. He harbored an interest in marketing but ultimately came to hotels through his work in independent restaurants, which started at an early age and in the dish room. From his first role at a luxurious ski resort in the Rocky Mountains, Kris worked his way up the leadership ladder with Ritz-Carlton, opening countless properties for the group including the iconic Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong. In 2014, opportunity brought Kris to join Four Seasons where he enjoyed a great stint ultimately as General Manager of The Four Seasons Hotel, Macao. From there Kris was poised for his current role, taking on the operations of the complete Sands Resorts Macao portfolio.

A long way from home but right where his heart belongs, Kris is passionate about his people more than anything. He credits his team in Macao for delivering real magic every single day.

What is the State of the Audience?

October 20, 11:00 PDT

State of the Audience:
Join CEMA and Lynn Randall, Senior Strategy Director at InVision Communications for this insightful webinar on October 20th.

Our ever-changing world is creating ripple effects across all aspects of our lives and our audience’s lives. Starting with the condition of our mental health, given that according to the CDC, 41.5% of American adults have symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder. And an emerging human capital management crisis; with 65% of U.S. workers currently seeking jobs and 740,000 leisure and hospitality workers among the 4 million Americans who quit their jobs in April 2021. Not to mention 50% of global consumers who have changed how they evaluate and buy products in both B2B and B2C environments. Lynn Randall will lead an in-depth conversation about these topics and what they mean for keeping your audiences sane and engaged. (Stay tuned for the webinar invite.)

Attendees can expect to learn:
• Tips for managing the mental health and safety of attendees, ensuring that your event is the oasis they’re seeking
• Considerations and preparations you need to make around human capital management to maintain service delivery standards for audiences
• Suggestions for Expo and Sponsor integration with audiences who have changed their buying habits

Read more about InVision here.

Reunited

CEMA Summit has always been a space for human connection and joy, so it goes without saying that it was marvelous be there in person to reconnect and celebrate our creativity, ingenuity and resilience… and share in the joy of being a CEMA member…especially at the BIG dance-off on Tuesday night! Enjoy the smiles and hugs in this video and especially the dance moves at the end.

Watch the Video

Behind the Scenes of Workiva, Part 1 Webinar

In the first episode of the series August 31st, Valerie Strehle, Director of Marketing, and Diana Cam, Senior Director of Partner Marketing, reviewed the successes—and not-so-successes—from their recent global events. View this behind-the-scenes look into event strategy and best practices, featuring the people who helped orchestrate the Workiva Amplify annual conference and its spin-off virtual programs which drew nearly 20,000 registrants over the last 12 months.

In addition, attendee polls addressed hybrid staffing levels and when event marketers are going back to live events.

Watch this very useful conversation here and be looking out for an email with information on the October 12th follow-up webinar.

Capture the excitement in the Windy City

Chicago is an iconic city lauded for its business landscape, accessibility, award-winning culinary scene, jaw-dropping attractions, & innovative hotels. Events of all kinds find their home in Chicago, whether at McCormick Place or at only-in-Chicago spaces. The possibilities are endless!

When you choose Chicago as your next meeting destination, you can feel confident that the health and well-being of your attendees, exhibitors, and staff is our utmost priority. Our Choose Chicago professionals are experts on everything our city has to offer and can help you plan your meeting each step of the way. Learn more here.